This is a true story of something that happened just a few years ago at
the University of Santa Clara.

There was a professor of philosophy on staff who was a deeply committed
atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire
semester attempting to prove that God couldn't exist. His students were for the
most part afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic and
his tough reputation. For twenty years, he had taught this class and,
while a few students had bravely attempted to present their differing
convictions, none had come close to changing his beliefs.

On the last class day of each semester, he would say to his class of
300 students, "If there is anyone here who still believes in Jesus, stand
up!" In twenty years, no one had ever stood up. They knew what he was going
to do next. He would say, "Because anyone who believes in God is a fool.
If God existed, He could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground
and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that He is God, and yet He can't do it."
And every year, he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom
and it would shatter into a hundred pieces.

None of the students would do anything but stop and stare. Most of the students thought that God couldn't exist. Certainly, a number of Christians had
slipped through, but for 20 years, they had been too afraid to stand up.

Well, a few years ago there was a freshman who happened to enroll. He
was a Christian, and had heard the stories about his professor. He was
required to take the class for his major, and he was afraid. But for
all three months of that semester, he prayed every day that he would have
the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said, or what the
class thought. Nothing they said could ever shatter his faith...he hoped.

Finally, the day came. The professor said, "If there is anyone here
who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor and the class of 300
people looked at the young man, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the
classroom. The professor shouted, "You FOOL!!! If God existed, He
would keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!" He
proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his
fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleat of his pants, down his leg, and off
his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away unbroken. The
professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the
young man, and then ran out of the lecture hall.

The young man who had stood proceeded to walk to the front of the room
and shared his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed
and listened as he told of God's love for them and of His power through
Jesus.